Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. Wisconsin Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 38.3% more expensive than Wisconsin.
- Restaurants
-
pay 33.0% more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 31.0% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 18.6% more in District of Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 60.1% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 42.9% more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 55.2% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 27.1% more in District of Columbia
The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, childcare, restaurants, groceries, and clothing in District of Columbia are more expensive than in Wisconsin.
District of Columbia vs. Wisconsin Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of Wisconsin, you would:
pay 33.0% more for restaurants
|
Wisconsin
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.68
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.05
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.63
|
$3.20
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.98
|
$2.79
|
|
Wisconsin vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 31.0% more for groceries
|
Wisconsin
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.29
|
$4.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.16
|
$8.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.52
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.12
|
$4.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.37
|
$7.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.11
|
$2.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.13
|
$3.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.02
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.23
|
$1.64
|
|
Wisconsin vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 18.6% more for transportation
|
Wisconsin
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.13
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$50.85
|
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,550.59
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.78
|
$16.73
|
|
Wisconsin vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 60.1% more for housing
|
Wisconsin
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.49
|
$69.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,194.55
|
$2,568.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$970.14
|
$2,088.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$134.51
|
$146.54
|
|
Wisconsin vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 42.9% more for childcare
|
Wisconsin
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,662.39
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$31,803.36
|
$40,166.67
|
|
Wisconsin vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 55.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Wisconsin
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.51
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.99
|
$6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.26
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$46.71
|
$103.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.06
|
$16.75
|
|
Wisconsin vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 27.1% more for clothing
|
Wisconsin
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.31
|
$76.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.83
|
$48.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.73
|
$104.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.46
|
$133.22
|
|
Wisconsin vs. District of Columbia - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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